The Four and The Pool: Shadows Path
by SwimmingAnger10895
Summary: All of the Clans leaders and deputies have been killed. Suddenly four cats rose to power and made life dangerous. A group of cats called The Strays now live on the outside of the Clan borders, refusing to live under the rule of The Four Leaders. Then a young former WindClan tom shows promise in defeating ShadowClan's leader who is ready to destroy everything that stands in his way.
1. Prologue

Prologue

A gray tom came out into a weak, make-shift camp. His pelt was covered in mud and dried blood and his green eyes were dull. He carried a plump mouse. It's blood dripped into his mouth, making him what to eat it himself. But the tom stood tall and walked around camp. The dens were made out of tall grass and twigs. It was weakly made and could easily be ripped through. Inside was much better. Two cats, a whitish-blue tom and a black tom slept uncomfortably on dry tall grass and moss.

"Icestrike, Blacktooth, up." The tom mumbled thru his prey.

The two cats groggily woke up, blinking the sleep from their eyes.

"Wolftooth, we had midnight patrol then a quick dawn patrol then we spied, give us a good nap." The black tom whined.

"We nearly got our tails ripped off by a badger!" The blue tom said worryingly.

Wolftooth hissed, "It was a bramble bush, you lazy mouse! Now get up! Waspstripe, Foxbreeze, and Rosestep are hunting near the Thunderpath while Ratfoot and Robinstep are spying!"

"What should _we_ do, your leadership?" The black tom growled.

"Icestrike, collect more water from Small Stream. Blacktooth, get more _clean_ moss."

Icestrike was about to complain, but he thought better. The two pushed themselves out of the cramped den. Wolftooth sighed and continued. The camp was guarded by weak thorn bushes and brambles. The prey pile only held one small crow and the camp was dark and gloomy. It had a small yellow gorse tunnel in front front and another to the Dirtplace. The messy furred tom walked to the only good den.

It was made of stone and the inside was nice and cool, unlike the stuffy twig dens.

"Wolftooth! Wolftooth!"

Two small cats tumbled out of the den. One was a small black she-cat with lavender eyes. She held a tiny thrush and flicked her tail against the other cat's pelt. The other cat was a brown tom with sparkling green eyes. He had massive feet and was playfully growling at the she-cat.

"Hello, Owlpaw. Hello Brownpaw. What's wrong?" Wolftooth sighed, almost annoyed with the young cats.

"We caught a large rabbit and gave it to Mosseye and Thrushwing!" Brownpaw said with glee.

"Mosseye told us to put the thrush in the Fresh-kill pile!" Owlpaw mumbled.

Wolftooth nodded, hiding his surprise. He needed to see this rabbit for himself, for no one had seen a rabbit in a moon. He told the cats to go rest up ("Because you have midnight patrol.") and went inside. The den was cool and clean and had the freshest moss. A young silvery gray she-cat with light green eyes laid in the center, watching two young kits play. The other she-cat was light brown and white she-cat with a swollen belly. A half eaten rabbit sat between the two. Wolftooth chuckled in surprise. ' _Those silly apprentices actually done it!'_

The gray she-cat perked her ears. She turned and smiled at Wolftooth, "Thank you, but we don't need anymore prey, as you can see."

The tom nodded and dropped his prey. He glanced at the brown she-cat, who stood up and stretched.

"I'm going to Small Stream. My throat is parched. Shall I take the young ones with me?"

Wolftooth and the other she-cat nodded. The gray cat pushed her kits to the other cat, saying, "Go with Thrushwing, little ones." The kits mewled, but followed Thrushwing out.

"So, Wolftooth," Mosseye asked, "What is on your mind? You don't come to me much anymore."

Wolftooth's ears drooped, "I know… Sorry, sister."

Mosseye smiled and rose. She licked her brother's ears, "It's fine, I know you are still grieving."

"How can I not? Anyway, have you heard any rumors?"

Mosseye laughed, "How can I not? Icestrike and Blacktooth have the biggest mouths, not to mention Brownpaw following in their pawsteps. But yes, I have, but it's the same. The Strays will die out, The Four will destroy us, etc."

"Anything else? Maybe a-" Wolftooth was cut off quickly.

"No. StarClan has not sent me anything and why should they? The only gave me a dumb prophecy that _never_ came true!" Mosseye hissed.

" _A Wolf with the stunning eyes_

 _Will see through the Four's lies…"_

Wolftooth said the prophecy with sadness. With his green eyes and having 'wolf' in his name, he thought he was the cat in the prophecy. She tried to fight the Four Leaders with his mate. But failed.

"But I never told you the finishing part," Mosseye looked down sadly, " _The Freckled will fall, and you will fail to save them from all."_

Wolftooth's fur bristled, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I was protecting you!"

"She's dead, Mosseye! DEAD!"

Wolftooth stormed out of the den. Icestrike and Blacktooth, carrying both wet and dry moss, watched him curiously. Wolftooth hissed at him to drop off the moss and the two cats rushed off. The tom went through the tunnel. He walked across the yellow grass hill down to a long gray and yellow stripe Thunderpath. A massive red monster came rushing down the path, making Wolftooth almost jump. The tom laid down at the edge.

"Frecklefur… I'm sorry." He begged to the twinkling stars.

"I already forgive you long ago…"

A shining white she-cat with gray spots laid next to Wolftooth. She had blue eyes and stars in her pelt. They stood up and licked her paw and brushed it against her ear.

"Frecklefur! But-"

The she-cat covered his mouth with her tail, "Listen, Wolftooth. I need to warn you. I wish I could stay longer, but I can't."

She dropped her tail and spoke:

 _The Shadow with destroy the Path_

 _The Thunder will show his Wrath_

 _The Wind hate will grow near_

 _And the River will show true fear_

 _The Pool of Feathers will chases away the enemy_

 _And bring bring a new time of harmony_

Wolftooth tried to stop his mate, but she nuzzled him, "Take care, guide the Pool, save the Strays."

In a ray of moonlight, Frecklefur disappeared, leaving Wolftooth to mumbled.

"Poolfeather, that cloudfuff warrior. Hedgehogs will fly!" Wolftooth glanced up at the sky, "I hope your right, or we'll all die."

ALLIANCES

ThunderClan

Leader: Blazestar- A yellow and orange striped tom with amber eyes.

Deputy: Hawktooth- A dark brown and black striped tom with brown eyes

Medicine cat- Mintwind- A white and brown she-cat with green eyes.

ShadowClan

Leader: Ratstar- A brown and black tom with amber eyes.

Deputy: Morningbreeze- A golden she-cat with brown eyes

Medicine cat: Stickfur- A small brown tom with blue eyes.

APPRENTICE: Dewpaw

WindClan

Leader: Heatherstar- A light brown and white she-cat with brown eyes

Deputy: Rabbitfur- A white and gray tom with amber eyes

Medicine cat: Berrytooth- A red she-cat with blue eyes

APPRENTICE: Harepaw

RiverClan

Leader: Rainstar- A dark gray and blue she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Miststep: A light gray she-cat with brown eyes

Medicine cat: Cloudfall- A fluffy white she-cat with brown eyes

APPRENTICE: Marigoldpaw

The Strays

Warriors:

Wolftooth- A dark gray tom with bright green eyes

Icestrike: A whitish-blue tom with brown eyes

Blacktooth: A black tom with yellow eyes

Waspstripe: A yellow she-cat with black stripes. Also has green eyes

Poolfeather: A gray and white tom with blue eyes

Ratfoot- A black and brown spotted tom with amber eyes

Robinstep: A red she-cat with blue eyes

Rosestep: A red and orange she-cat with green eyes

Foxbreeze: An orange tom with brown eyes. Has a white underbelly, paws, and tail tip

Apprentices:

Owlpaw: A small black she-cat with purple eyes. Has a white underbelly

Brownpaw: A dark brown tom with massive paws and amber eyes

Queens:

Mosseye: A gray she-cat with black stripes. Has black paws and green eyes (Kits: Finchkit: A orange she-cat with yellow eyes. Stonekit: A dark gray tom with green eyes.)

Thrushwing: A light brown she-cat with a white underbelly and paws. Has yellow eyes.

Elders:

Tigereye: A reddish-brown tom with a whitish-gray muzzle and amber eyes.

OTHERS

Snowball: A fluffy white she-cat with blue eyes. A kittypet

Tiger: A black and brown striped tom with green eyes. A kittypet

Cream: A white and light yellow she-kit with yellow eyes. A kittypet

Dagger: A small gray tom with amber eyes. A rouge

Bullet: A massive dark gray tom with amber eyes. A rouge

Yowl: A scarred yellow she-cat with purple eyes and large ears. A rouge

Piper: A ginger she-cat with yellow eyes. A loner

Yeardley: A long yellow and orange she-cat with brown eyes. A loner

Harley: A black to with many scarred and brown eyes. A loner

Justice: A massive white and black dog with a shaggy coat. A barn-dog


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Poolfeather shook his gray and white pelt. The scent of mouse bile finally disappeared. He growled nervously:

"Wolftooth is going to kill me."

The tom stood in a small ditch with barely a trickle of a stream. The ground was almost pure dust and the grass was yellow. The sky was a pretty shade of light blue and the clouds were light wisps. But a dark threat loomed over Poolfeather.

He was apart of the group The Strays, a group of Clan cats who refused to fall under the rule of The Four. The Four were the leaders of the Four Clans, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. The leaders were Blazestar of ThunderClan, Rainstar of RiverClan, Heatherstar of WindClan, and Ratstar of ShadowClan. They changed the way the Clans worked, making it a dangerous and destructive way to live. But it all started at the Eight Deaths.

"Poolfeather!"

A yellow she-cat with black stripes walked out of a dried yellow bush. She glanced up at a wilted oak tree and shivered. Poolfeather couldn't blame her. Both of them came from WindClan and weren't completely used to being under trees.

"What's wrong, Waspstripe?" Poolfeather asked.

Waspstripe flicked her tail, "Wolftooth will kill you. Small Stream isn't a stream anymore, more of a puddle waiting to turn to dust. Wasting water like this-"

Poolfeather looked away, "I smelled like mouse bile."

Waspstripe sighed and dropped down. She brushed her pelt against his, trying to wipe up the rest of the water off. She muttered something about The Great Drought, a drought which started after the Eight Deaths.

"Come on, let's go. Sharing Tongues will start and the Spies will be back, maybe even the Hunting Patrol." Waspstripe leaped up and started her way back. Poolfeather clumsily followed.

Waspstripe was Poolfeather's best friend from WindClan. When their former leader, Grassstar, was found dead in his own den and the deputy, Mousetail, was found dead on the edge of the border, Heatherwhisker went to Moonpool and became WindClan's new leader. At first, she changed tiny things. Then she forced the weakest elders to hunt and fight, the youngest kits to train. War soon broke out between the Clans. The leaders started blaming each other for one thing. Every leader and deputy was killed in the same way, but no one found who did it. The Four, as they were soon called, said at the Gathering that they would fight until the murderer was found and that no one would be spared. Then Wolftooth from ShadowClan stood up and said 'no'. He said we should find the murderers without bloodshed, but the Four attacked. They said if anyone believed him, they should leave and follow him. Both Waspstripe and Poolfeather believed him and followed Wolftooth, joining a new group called The Strays.

Poolfeather and Waspstripe crawled through a brambled hole, getting their fur caught in some brambles.

"You had to go through the Dirtplace?" Waspstripe growled, lashing her tail.

Poolfeather's fur bristled, "This was the only place I could sneak out!"

"Mousebrain!"

The two former WindClan cats scurried out of the Dirtplace and into camp. They first saw two she-cat grooming each other's fur. Their pelts were a fiery red and they had pretty blue and green eyes.

"Hello, Robinstep. Hello Rosestep." Poolfeather said.

"Hey, Poolfeather." Robinstep, the red she-cat, purred.

"Good day, Poolfeather." Rosestep, the red and orange she-cat, answered.

Poolfeather nodded back and walked off. He liked having a good reputation in the group. The two apprentices, Owlpaw and Brownpaw, were practice fighting outside their den with Foxbreeze. The bright orange tom showing showing the young apprentices a new move.

"Owlpaw, you've been training for one moon, correct? Same with you, Brownpaw?"

The cats nodded.

"Owlpaw, this is a move for you because you're so tiny," Foxbreeze mewed playfully, "It's called the Leap-And-Hold. When a bigger opponent, like Brownpaw here, holds down Owlpaw, she will play dead, like I taught you. Once you push Brownpaw off, Owlpaw, you leap onto his back and make sure he can't get you so you can claw into his back."

"Will she _actually_ claw me?" Brownpaw meowed nervously, looking at the small black she-cat.

"Oh no, once she gets on, she will quickly leap off. But Brownpaw, remember, you need to try and block her, okay?" Foxbreeze instructed.

Owlpaw crouched down and was ready to pounce while Brownpaw growled and got into a defensive position.

"Strays! Gather around!"

Wolftooth stood on top of The Rock, a massive rock which stood in the corner of camp. Owlpaw and Brownpaw stopped and quickly scrambled to the base of The Rock.

"You're being a good teacher." Poolfeather praised Foxbreeze, walking with him to The Rock.

"Thank you, Poolfeather," Foxbreeze purred, "It's sad. Wolftooth refuses to give them a mentor, saying the group with teach them things. I try my best to teach them fighting techniques. Owlpaw is a quick learner and Brownpaw is really strong."

Poolfeather nodded and watched him rush off to Rosestep. The two cats purred and rubbed against each other.

"They are from different Clans!"

Poolfeather whipped around to see Waspstripe hissing. He saw a few heather flowers and some crow feathers in a moss bundle, but was more focused on her.

"What?" He asked.

"Foxbreeze is from ThunderClan and Rosestep is from RiverClan! They clearly like each other."

"Shh!" A gray she-cat with two kits raced around her, meowing and hissing.

They dipped their heads in forgiveness, "Sorry, Mosseye."

Before she could answer, three cats entered through the gorse tunnel. They all carried the first plump prey seen in a long time. The first whitish-blue tom carried a fat rabbit and one vole, the black tom carried two plump mice and a shrew, and the last black and brown spotted tom held a rabbit and a crow.

The group held their breath. No one had seen this much good prey in a moon. Whispers started echoing through the camp.

"Quiet!" Wolftooth hissed, "Yes, Icestrike, Blacktooth, and Ratfoot caught much more prey than usual, which means they get first pick from the pile."

"Icestrike! Blacktooth! Ratfoot!" The Clan cheered.

The three toms beamed and stuck their chests out.

"Those three think they are the ruler of this world, just because they caught all of that." Waspstripe whispered.

"Anyway, we have news from them as well. They have spied on RiverClan and have gathered something important information, so listen up." Wolftooth glanced at the three.

Icestrike and Blacktooth pushed Ratfoot out. The tom hissed but climbed up onto The Rock with Wolftooth.

"While spying, we saw a trade going on," Ratfoot started, "WindClan warriors trading a few rabbits with RiverClan warriors, who also had prey with them."

"What does that mean?!" Tigereye, the only elder, hissed.

"It means WindClan and RiverClan might have an agreement. Meaning they could be working together." Ratfoot answered.

The cats started whispering again in worried tones. Wolftooth hissed for silence and Ratfoot continued,

"We saw the WindClan warriors speak with them for a bit. The RiverClan warriors nodded and walked off. The WindClan warriors spread out and started hunting. They chased water voles wildly, but could not catch them. I decided to follow the RiverClan scent and saw that they crossed the farm and into WindClan territory. They began to hunt rabbits, but fail to catch them."

"So… Will they come and attack us?" Thrushwing began to whimper.

Ratfoot looked down, not knowing how to answer. Wolftooth excused him and the tom went down and back into the crowd.

"The Clans do not know where we are. Last time they saw us was at the Gathering. They do not know we passed the farm's Thunderpath to make a camp. Anyway, it is time for a new ceremony. Foxbreeze, Rosestep, and Waspstripe, please bring forward your gifts."

The three cats stepped forward, carrying a moss bundles. Poolfeather, confused, watched as Wolftooth carried down his own bundle and nodded at Foxbreeze to start.

"Willowstar of ThunderClan was a great leader. Mudwing of ThunderClan was a great deputy and should have been an amazing leader," Foxbreeze opened his bundle. Inside was oak wood bark, three yellow oak leaves, and some smooth stones. Foxbreeze explained, "Willowstar loved to climb trees. She had a favorite oak tree which overlooked the lake. Mudwing loved to walk on the edge of the lake with his mate, Silverheart. Sadly, she was one of the first warriors to die to Blazestar."

All the cats went silent. Foxbreeze left his bundle and went back into the group. Rosestep opened her bundle, revealing a reed head and a tiny white shell.

"Hollowstar was a wonderful leader and Shellsplash would have made our Clan stronger if she would've been leader," Rosestep opened her bundle. A reed head and a tiny white shell laid on the dry moss, "Hollowstar loved to decorate his den with these reed heads and Shellsplash loved to style her nest with these shells. May StarClan watch over her."

Waspstripe nodded at Rosestep once the silence ended. She dropped her bundle and shakily said, "Grassstar was an honorable leader and Mousetail was loyal to the very end. May StarClan watch over them." Waspstripe opened her bundle, "Grassstar loved heather flowers. That's why he named his daughter Heatherwhisker. Mousetail loved to line his nest with crow feathers. I hope they hunt well in StarClan."

Waspstripe blinked some tears away and walked into the crowd. Poolfeather brushed his pelt against hers.

Wolftooth finished by saying, "Cloudstar was a fierce, but loyal, leader and Jaggedclaw was a strong and powerful deputy," He opened a bundle. Inside was a weird soft Twoleg thing and a jagged stone in the shape of a claw, "This Twoleg thing was Cloudstar's favorite gift. It was given to him by his lost mate, Russetpelt. She disappeared after his death, after when Ratstar took over. She is thought dead, but no one is known for sure. This rock is in memory of Jaggedclaw, who always said his strength and loyalty were like a rock, strong and almost unbreakable. But his loyalty was never unbreakable. May they rest in StarClan."

The Strays went completely silent. Eight greats member were now dead for one moon. And Four horrible leaders had taken over.

 _We need to stop them… Now_ Poolfeather thought with a slight growl.

"Alright, we may eat. Rosestep, Robinstep, Foxbreeze, will hunt in the forest. Icestrike, Blacktooth, and Ratscar may rest. Poolfeather, Waspstripe, and the apprentices will go spy. I shall go with them." Wolftooth ordered.

The cats began to spilt. Icestrike, Blacktooth, and Ratfoot took a rabbit and skinny shrew. Foxbreeze, Robinstep, and Rosestep grouped together and started to shared a vole and a mouse. Poolfeather took a vole.

"Aren't we going to share?" Waspstripe teased.

"Of course. We haven't had this much good prey in forever."

The two quickly finished the brown vole and found the apprentices who just finished their own Fresh-Kill.

"Are we going to ThunderClan? I wanna see if my parents are still there." Owlpaw begged.

"Sorry, little one, you both are too young cross these borders. This is too dangerous for you. We will head to RiverClan and stay in the small streams. Knowing WindClan, they'll look for water voles and/or frogs there."

Even though Owlpaw looked upset, Brownpaw looked thrilled. _Brownpaw_ is _from RiverClan. He will be happy to be near his home._

"You four ready?"

Wolftooth walked over. He looked like he just groomed himself. He glared at Poolfeather for a few heartbeats, then looked away.

 _What did I do?_ Poolfeather thought nervously.

"Alright. We'll follow the the ThunderPath in till we get to some small streams. We will have to cover our pelts in mud or dung to hide our scent. Poolfeather and I will follow a patrol. Waspstripe and the apprentices will watch the camp."

The four cats nodded and followed the gray tom out. The yellow grass cut at their pads.

"I wish we had a medicine cat." Brownpaw grumbled.

Wolftooth glared at him. Medicine cats were banned from leaving camp and if they did they had a patrol of warriors surrounding them. No one in The Strays had experience with herbs so even the minorest of scratches and bites could be dangerous.

They walked down the hill and stood at the edge. Wolftooth perk his ears and said, "Owlpaw and Brownpaw, go!"

The apprentices dashed across the hot ThunderPath. Just as they crossed. A dark colored Monster came roaring down the path. Another quickly zoomed by.

"Now Waspstripe!"

Waspstripe leaped through the air and landed in the center, only to quickly dash off to the other side. Another monster ran passed.

"Quickly Poolfeather."

Poolfeather ran across. Waspstripe smiled and teased,

"You didn't stop half way through, scaredy-mouse!"

Poolfeather cuffed her around the ear, "Mousebrain!"

Wolftooth crossed it with ease. He lead the group through the tall grass. The yellowish grass whipped around in the hot dusty breeze. The sun glared down on them from high up in the blue sky. No clouds were visible anywhere. Poolfeather started praying to StarClan for rain. They entered an open field. A small sickly looking stream was running in the center. The grass was also low and was covered in paw prints.

"It's WindClan." Owlpaw determined.

"Good catch, Owlpaw," Wolftooth praised, "Yes, WindClan was here. Probably yesterday, the scent is still strong."

"Now what?" Waspstripe asked.

"We need to hide our scent. Covering our fur with mud will do it. Then we will split up in our groups. We'll meet at the ThunderPath, agreed?"

"Agreed."

The gray tom led the group to a small stream. He took globs of dark colored mud and smeared it on his once sleek pelt. Poolfeather held his breath. The scent of the mud was overwhelming and digesting. The smell burn his nose and made his pelt rise.

 _I hate you, Wolftooth_ Poolfeather thought angrily as he covered himself with the sticky substance.

Once the cats finished, they donned their brown look and went their separate ways. Wolftooth and Poolfeather leaped into some tall grass and started heading through it.

"Alright, I think a patrol will be finishing, we just need to follow them. Maybe get some information." Wolftooth explained.

"What if we get caught?" Poolfeather asked.

"We run. We have no medicine cat to heal us so fighting is useless and dangerous." Wolftooth replied, crouching down.

Poolfeather followed in his lead. His ears twitched when he heard a sudden sound. He glanced up to see a flattened patch of grass and another set of tall grass across from that.

"I hate these stupid WindClan cats! Chasing away our prey, they should eat their tail!"

A dark grayish-blue she-cat came hissing out of the tall grass and onto the flattened path along with a large brown tom, a black she-cat, a white tom, and a gray and black striped apprentice.

"Careful, Mothnose, some WindClan scum maybe lurking around." The white tom warned.

Poolfeather held himself from growling. How dare these cats make fun of his cat. He should rip their tongues for saying that.

"Oh shut it, Snowwing!" The large brown tom hissed, "Once we take down ThunderClan and ShadowClan, those teaming Foxhearts, we will destroy WindClan! Just like Rainstar said."

The black she-cat laughed, "Ottertail is right! We will destroy WindClan along with the other Clans. That murderer has to be in one of _those_ Clans, right Basspaw?"

The apprentice smirked, "Right, Nightfall! Those scum will be dead before they see my fangs!"

The patrol laughed and continued along their way. Once they disappeared with their tails held high, Wolftooth dashed out and quietly started to follow them. Poolfeather followed in his lead, but it was hardly because his mud cover started to cake to his fur. They followed the patrol's scent till-

"Their gone!" Wolftooth hissed.

"Of course, do you really think we are _that_ stupid, Wolftooth of The Strays."

A beautiful, but so ugly, gray and blue she-cat stood behind them. Her cold blue eyes glared at the two mud covered cats. Behind her was the patrol from before, smirking and laughing. A meek looking fluffy white she-cat stood behind the group, looking petrified.

"Rainstar, dubbed the Blue Wicked. You are called the most vicious leader in the Clans."

Rainstar sneered, "You're a traitor, Wolftooth. You betrayed your Clan and your mate died for it."

"You leave Frecklefur out of this!" Wolftooth snarled, unsheathing his claws.

 _What happened to running away?!_ Poolfeather thought, going into a defensive pose.

"Why should I, traitor?" Rainstar asked innocently.

"Maybe _he_ killed Hollowstar and Shellsplash!" The apprentice, Basspaw, growled.

"You think so? We can't let him live then… Warriors of RiverClan, attack!"

The cats yowled and leaped into the gray. Wolftooth went for Nightfall and Ottertail while Poolfeather leaped in front Mothnose. He swiped his front claws at her eyes. She growled and leaped at his throat. Poolfeather dodged her attacked and leaped into her back.

"Get off… NYEROW!"

Mothnose flipped him over and raked her claws against his side. He screeched and pushed her off. Blood splashed against the ground. Basspaw rushed forward and tackled him to ground. He struggled to get up, but Basspaw and Mothnose kept clawing at him.

Suddenly, a brown and yellow she-cat leaped out and tackled Mothnose off. Two apprentices followed behind and started battling.

"Waspstripe!" Poolfeather cheered, standing up shakily.

Waspstripe smiled and said, "We heard to battle going on and rushed to help."

"Thank StarClan!"

The two ran off and began fighting the enemy. Poolfeather pushed Ottertail away from Brownpaw and bit his leg. Ottertail yowled in pain and tried to swipe, only for Owlpaw and leaped onto his back and scratch him. Poolfeather felt invincible. Left and right, he battled his way through the crowd. Blood and claw marks scarred his pelt. Once he got to the back, he saw a weak and bloody Wolftooth. Rainstar, looking bloody yet still looking powerful, stood over Wolftooth.

"Now I'll make sure you die, traitor!"

Rainstar raised her paw and was about to bring it down, but Poolfeather leaped forward and dug his claws into her pretty muzzle. She growled and shoved into the ground. Before he could get up, Rainstar slammed her paw onto his head, digging her claws in. She took her other paw and brushed it against her muzzle and licked the blood off.

"Poor little WindClanner, you would have been a good ally to RiverClan."

Wolftooth leaped onto her back and dug his claws into her stomach.

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!" He screeched, biting her ears and ripping a piece off.

Rainstar shook him off and let Poolfeather, who swipe his claws against her muzzle, making an even deeper cut. She closed her eyes and yowled.

"STRAYS, RETREAT!" Wolftooth ordered.

Waspstripe helped the apprentices and ran into the tall grass. Poolfeather kicked Rainstar away and followed. He saw the fluffy white cat try to run with the escaping RiverClan, but Wolftooth gently pulled her down and then helped her up, growling, "Move."

Poolfeather followed Wolftooth and the she-cat, stumbling a bit. They stopped at the edge of the ThunderPath. He whipped his head around. Waspstripe and the apprentices were nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Waspstripe and the apprentices?" Poolfeather asked.

The grass shook and Waspstripe jumped out. Owlpaw helped Brownpaw walked out.

"What now! That nasty apprentice damaged Brownpaw's leg really badly!" Owlpaw cried.

"All of us need to run, now!" Wolftooth ordered, pushing the she-cat forward. She yelled and dashed across.

Poolfeather helped Owlpaw and Brownpaw get across and Waspstripe stumbled behind. They raced up the yellow hill and entered the gorse tunnel. Foxbreeze and his group was dropping their prey into the pile while Mosseye and Thrushwing watched Finchkit and Stonekit play. Tigereye just came back from the Dirtplace. Icestrike, Blacktooth, and Ratfoot were sunning themselves at the base of The Rock. The whole group glanced over and gasped. Mosseye lead the kits into the nursery.

Rosestep step forward and her eyes widen, "Cloudfall?"

The fluffy white cat gasped, "Rosestep? Is Robinstep here?"

"Yes!"

Poolfeather stepped forward, "Rosestep, do you know this she-cat?"

Rosestep ignored him and glared at Wolftooth, "How dare you kidnapped the medicine cat of RiverClan."

Thank you reading! I hope you liked it. I'll try to update as often as possible. Have some cookies! (::) (::) (::) (::)


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

For the quarter moon, RiverClan made no attempts to get Cloudfall back and The Strays made no attempts to even try to start spying again. No rain had came in that time either. Cloudfall helped make her own den and Rosestep helped her collect herbs. The RiverClan cat even gained some good reputation, even though she only talked to Rosestep, Robinstep, and Brownpaw, RiverClan cats. Brownpaw had broken leg and was forced to stay in camp. Wolftooth ordered Foxbreeze to mentor Owlpaw in case of an attack.

It was a hot day, again. Poolfeather entered camp carrying a mouse. He dropped it in the Fresh-kill pile, which only held two crows and a squirrel. He sighed and dropped his mouse into the and stretched out. He hadn't done anything except hunt or try to get into the farm. The Strays learned that the farm cats trapped in the farm because RiverClan and WindClan decided to make the farm neutral hunting ground. Any outsiders were attacked on sight.

Poolfeather walked to base of The Rock where Cloudfall, Robinstep, and Brownpaw laid in the hot sun.

"Morning Brownpaw, how's your leg?"

The brown tom's leg was covered in herbs. A stick covered in cobwebs held his leg in place. Brownpaw smiled weakly, "Cloudfall says it will be better soon, right Cloudfall?"

Cloudfall nodded and turned away. Poolfeather felt bad for her. Wolftooth forced her away from her home and made her stay in camp.

"Do you need anything, Cloudfall?" Poolfeather asked.

"No." Cloudfall said.

"Don't worry, Poolfeather," Brownpaw mewed, "Cloudfall is just really shy! Right, Cloudfall?"

Cloudfall didn't respond.

Poolfeather nodded to Brownpaw and walked off. He felt his pelt burn in embarrassment. He always felt like this after talking to Cloudfall. Then again, he was always worried about making mistakes. His mentor always made him think that-

"Poolfeather!"

A tiny orange she-kit tried to pounced at Poolfeather. She slipped and fell. She tried to get up, but a male dark gray kit stepped on her ear.

"Ow! That hurt, Stonekit!" The she-kit hissed, pushing him off.

"Your such a kittypet, Finchkit!" Stonekit teased, "You are just sad I beat you at wrestling!"

Finchkit hissed and pounced on her brother, forcing him to the ground. Poolfeather pushed the kits off each other.

"Calm down, you two," Poolfeather said calmly, "Would you like me to teach you a quick fighting move."

At first, Poolfeather regretted saying that. But he remembered being a kit himself, waiting to become an apprentice and wanting to learn how to fight. The two kits cheered and started racing around him.

"Please please pleaseeeeeee teach us!" Stonekit begged.

Finchkit nodded in agreement.

"Okay, this will protect you from your enemies," Poolfeather crouched down and explained, "You duck down, like so and twist. Watch."

Poolfeather stood up and acted like a warrior was coming at him. He ducked to ground and rolled to the side. Finchkit squealed in delight, "That was amazing, Poolfeather!"

Stonekit rolled his eyes, "That was boring! I wanna learn a real fighting move! I wanna tear those RiverClan scum to pieces!"

Poolfeather was a bit nervous by the dark gray tom's behavior. What was up with him?

"Alright, alright," The gray and white warrior said calmly, "I'll teach you a move. It's called the Back Kick. You guess your opponent's distance and turn around swiftly, like so-" He turned his back against the kits, "And quickly kick out your legs, hitting your opponent."

Stonekit smirked and tried to use the move on his sister. He slipped and fell on his stomach while Finchkit ducked and rolled.

"Cheater!" Stonekit hissed and raced after his sibling, who started to dash off.

"Thank you for watching them."

Mosseye walked out from the Dirtplace tunnel and smiled, "I told Thrushwing to watch them, but she is getting tired from watching them. Two moons old and they think they run the camp."

"I remember when I was like that. My mentor quickly put me in my place." Poolfeather chuckled nervously.

Mosseye cocked her head, "Who was your mentor?"

"Oh… Treefur."

"Oh."

Mosseye understood something was wrong with that name. She sighed and said, "I'm glad you taught them that move. As a mother, I shouldn't be. But their father, as you can see, isn't around."

"Is he in ShadowClan?" Poolfeather asked, knowing Wolftooth and Mosseye were siblings and both came from ShadowClan.

"He was the first to die," Mosseye explained, "When Ratear became Ratstar, my mate, Firefur, questioned him. He demanded him to find Cloudstar and Jaggedclaw's murderer, in the center of camp. Ratstar just laughed and leaped down. He ripped his throat out and watched my mate bleed. Once the medicine cat and new deputy, Stickfur and Morningbreeze, dragged his body anyway, he asked the Clan if we had any questions about the murder. No one answered. He just smirked and walked into his den with his deputy. That is when both Wolftooth and I knew we needed to get my kits out of there."

Poolfeather felt sorry for Mosseye. She lost her mate, her Clan, and her home. Now, she may lose this home to RiverClan. But then again, she lose everything. She had her kits.

"You have Finchkit and Stonekit. They both have the spirit of Firefur in them." Poolfeather said comfortably.

Mosseye nodded sadly and ordered the kits to get into the nursery.

( **IWISHFANFICTIONWOULDLETMEUSELINES)**

Poolfeather laid in the Warriors den sleeping peacefully. He just got back from a hunting patrol. It also had been three days after he talked with Mosseye. He agreed to watch the kits in his free time. Finchkit and Stonekit were delighted and begged to teach them new moves. He always said no or taught them a defensive moves (he also learned to ignore Stonekit's whining). Poolfeather also taught them how to play mossball and gave them badger back rides. It was fun, but he needed to help out with the group, not just play with kits. Thrushwing had been forced to stay in the nursery because Cloudfall warned her she might have her kits soon.

"Poolfeather! Get out here!"

Waspstripe was standing in the front entrance of the den. He blinked the sleep out of his and yawned.

"Isitmorningallready?" He mumbled.

"No, Mousebrain! Get up! Rainstar is here with demands!" Waspstripe hissed in a serious tone.

Poolfeather stumbled up, "What? How did she-"

"She made scouts follow us when we escaped from the battle. They know how we work. But their is a bigger problem… ShadowClan is with them."

"I thought they were allied with WindClan?"

"I thought so to, but no time! Get up!"

Foxbreeze and Ratfoot, who were also on his hunting patrol, got up quickly and scrambled out with Poolfeather. Wolftooth and the other warriors gathered around the base of the rock in the dark night. The stars faintly twinkled overhead. The almost half moon gave a bit of light. Two cats stood on top of The Rock. One was obviously Rainstar. Her blue eyes shined darkly. Her ear was half ripped. It was the same one Wolftooth bit and tore a piece off. Her muzzle was scarred. But she was still beautifully ugly. The other cat on her right was a brown and black tom. His amber eyes glowed a reddish tint in the dark. He had a long scar against his chest, but had a large smile in the dark.

"Wolftooth! My old friend, it is _so_ wonderful to meet you again!" The tom said in a cheery mew.

"Ratstar… What are you doing in my camp?" Wolftooth hissed with a frown.

Rainstar stood up tall and explained, "After WindClan's betrayal and learning of their work with ThunderClan to learn information about ShadowClan, Ratstar and I thought it would be a good idea to work together."

"Rainstar also told me a traitor of my Clan lived here so, of course, I came to bring justice," Ratstar explained with a grin, "But I thought 'I shouldn't kill him, that would be too easy. We will have a challenge."

Rainstar frowned, "You said you need me to kill his warriors with mine! Not a stupid challenge!"

Ratstar, stilling grinning, turned to face her. He leaped forward and started to bite her neck. Drops of blood came down, but the she-cat don't move. She just looked surprised.

"Shut up, fishbreath," Ratstar growled, letting go, "He's my problem, not your's."

"But-"

"EAT YOUR TAIL!" He hissed, turning back to face Wolftooth.

"The game is simple. You have beat Rainstar's and my warriors six times. I will show you The Path to StarClan from here."

Wolftooth's eyes widen, but he shook his head and growled, "What do you mean?"

"I mean speak with StarClan with Moonpool. Talk to them. Have their favor. I know a path to get their." Ratstar said.

"But want other us does this path have to us?"

"You can enter any Clan's territory and spy on them," Ratstar smiled innocently, "Don't act you haven't watched our Clans to gather information."

"We don't need your gift." Wolftooth answered.

"Alright, but first. We need to talk about this."

Ratstar yowled. Two of his warriors dragged a small brown apprentice with massive feet and his leg held out. He was bleeding from almost everywhere on his pelt. His eyes were closed, making him look dead.

"Brownpaw!" Owlpaw yowled. She tried to pounce on the warriors, but Foxbreeze held her back.

"This little apprentice tried to fight us when we crossed the border. He's not dead, but almost. Maybe we should kill him to remind you not to betray-"

"Warriors, gather and attack!" Wolftooth ordered, launching himself at Ratstar.

Poolfeather and Waspstripe dived together and landed on two cats. One was a she-cat with yellow fur and the other was a dark brown tom. Poolfeather dug his claws into her fur and yowled, "FOR THE STRAYS!"

The yellow she-cat hissed and shook him other. He landed on the ground hard, but quickly recovered and swiped her across the face. Blood splattered around him. She yowled in pain and ran off. The tom tried to bite Wapstripe, but she back kicked him in the muzzle before he could. He groaned and stumbled back. He then growled and tried to bite her, but she ducked and rolled. Waspstripe rapped her claws arounded his neck and took a mouthful of his neck fur and begun shaking wildly.

Poolfeather was stunned, but didn't notice as a RiverClan tom pounced on him. Poolfeather let pimp quickly. The tom slowly released, but then gray and white tom scratched his stomach with his back claws. The tom hissed and clawed Poolfeather across the muzzle. A screech escaped Poolfeather mouth as blood trickled down his face. He tried to get up, but the tom pinned him down again with one paw and the other raked up his stomach. Warm blood poured down his sides.

"Waspstripe…!" He called weakly.

The yellow and black striped she-cat whipped around and tackled the tom. She scratched at his eyes. He hissed and ran off. Waspstripe helped Poolfeather up.

"You okay?" She shouted over the fighting cats.

"Y-Yes." He stuttered.

He glanced at the crowd. Icestrike and Blacktooth were fighting against a RiverClan she-cat and a ShadowClan tom. Foxbreeze was defending a wounded Rosestep. Robinstep was helping Ratfoot against a ShadowClan she-cat. Wolftooth was fighting against both Rainstar and Ratstar.

"Come… On!" The wounded tom growled, charging.

The tom rushed through the cats, dodging attacks and holding in screeches when he did get hit. When he got to Wolftooth and the two leaders, the three were weakened but still fighting hard. Poolfeather growled and half-pounced, half slipped at Ratstar. He raked his claws in Ratstar's eyes. The tom growled and pushed him off, smiling.

"You stupid-"

Waspstripe pounced on him and slammed her paws into his head. Rainstar tried to bite the yellow she-cat, but Wolftooth pounced on her.

"Stop!" Ratstar bit Waspstripe in the shoulder making her let go, "ShadowClan retreat!"

Rainstar pushed Wolftooth off and yelled, "RiverClan retreat!"

Both RiverClan and ShadowClan yowled loudly and rushed off. The camp was almost empty, besides The Strays and the two leaders.

"You defeated six of my warriors, good job," Ratstar breathed heavily while licking his wounds, "The Path is you must go down the ThunderPath and around the Horseplace. Then, you must go around WindClan territory and follow the stream up to Moonpool."

"The rest of the path?" The dark gray tom asked.

Ratstar grinned, "You can figure that out. Let's go, Rainstar, we need to get to our Clans."

Raintar nodded grimly and started to walk off. She stopped and turned her head.

"Cloudfall, come on."

The fluffy white she-cat stood horrified over Brownpaw's half dead body. She glared at Rainstar and stepped forward.

"No." She hissed.

"Excuse me?" Rainstar said in shock.

"How dare you harm your own!" Cloudfall yowled, "Brownpaw was just an apprentice!"

"He was a traitor." Rainstar stated calmly.

Cloudfall frowned, "Tell Marigoldpaw that she is a full medicine cat. Her name is Marigoldleaf. Tell her that StarClan _still_ except her."

"Cloudfall-"

"I am The Strays medicine cat now, meaning I still have the same rights as Clan medicine cats." Cloudfall said, half-smirking.

Rainstar growled and then yowled, "I will never forgive you! You traitor!"

Rainstar whipped around and rushed off with Ratstar, leaving The Strays bloody, but determined to stay alive.

( **LINESLINESLINES)**

Hello everyone! I before anyone says, yes I know there was a Cloudstar and a Heatherstar, but this is many many (about 50 moons) after A Vision of Shadows. At this time, we are waiting for the second book to come out so if SkyClan _does_ come to the lake, I didn't know. Lets just say it's alternate timeline or something. I don't know. Anyway, HAVE SOME COOKIES (::) (::) (::) (::)


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I wanna see!"

"Finchkit sit down! You too Stonekit!"

Mosseye was hissing at her kits who kept trying to get into the nursery. Foxbreeze, Blacktooth, Ratfoot, Poolfeather, Tigereye, and Mosseye stood around the nursery, waiting for Cloudfall to come out. Thrushwing was complaining of stomach pains early in the morning. Cloudfall quickly realized she was going to have kits soon and went in to help her. Most of the group gathered around, but Wolftooth made Waspstripe, Rosestep, Robinstep, and Icestrike to go hunting while he went to help gather herbs and supplies for the group. Everyone just gathered around, feeling happy for the first time in a while.

It had been another quarter moon. Tonight was half-moon, meaning Cloudfall had to go to Moonpool to speak with StarClan. But the biggest problem in the group was making sure Cloudfall got to Moonpool safely. RiverClan tried to ambush two border patrols. One heavily wounded Waspstripe, Blacktooth, and Icestrike and the other was more prepared and quickly chased out the invaders. Waspstripe had a bit of a limp, but refused to rest and worked herself even harder. Icestrike was clawed in his left eye pretty badly. Cloudfall had said he might be half-blind for the rest of his life. StarClan must have given Icestrike and Cloudfall luck because the medicine cat was able to heal his eye. It was still a bit blurry to see out of, but Icestrike worked just as hard to prove he could do normal tasks. Blacktooth's leg was broken badly, forcing him to stay in camp with Brownpaw. Blacktooth refused to just stay in camp and helped out with simple tasks like collecting moss, drying herbs, and helping Brownpaw get the muscle back in his leg.

 _This is feeling more and more like a real Clan now_ Poolfeather thought happily. He still had a long scar on his stomach from the attack, but he didn't mind.

Cloudfall came out, smiling, "She had two toms and one she-cat."

Finchkit and Stonekit squealed and rushed in. Mosseye quickly followed them in, scolding them along the way.

"In ThunderClan, it was always good luck to have new kits in the Clan." Tigereye stated with a slight cough.

"It's good luck in WindClan too, Tigereye," Poolfeather purred, "You might wanna visit Cloudfall for that cough. I might get worse."

Tigereye snorted, "You sound like your friend, Waspstripe. She heard me coughing and told me I should go to Cloudfall as well."

The elder stretched and yawned, "Fine. If it makes you happy."

The reddish-brown tom licked his whitish-gray muzzle, muttering something about food and walked over to the medicine cat den. It was a stick den, but more circle shape and had a large opening. Six nests laid on the left side while the right side had little holes in the ground for herbs. Other herbs laid on two flat rocks, drying in the hot sun. The grass was disappearing because of the hot sun and no rain. Prey had become harder to find again. Some cats went hungry and couldn't eat into the next Sharing Tongues.

Finchkit bounced out and mewed, "Poolfeather! Poolfeather! Come inside! The kits are soooooooo cute!"

Stonekit leaped out behind her and tried to pull on Poolfeather's tail.

"Alright alright! I'm coming!"

Poolfeather walked into the light brown den. The inside smelled like milk and fresh moss. Thrushwing laid corner with three kits surrounding her stomach. One was the biggest and was a yellowish-brown tom with a white underbelly. The second was the runt of the litter and was a light brown tom with white paws. The third was a small she-cat with a light brown and white spotted she-cat.

"The biggest tom is Brackenkit, the little tom is Mousekit, and the she-cat is Lilykit." Thrushwing stated.

Lilykit squeaked as her mother moved a little.

"They're so cute! Me and Lilykit-"

"Lilykit and I." Mosseye corrected, grooming her pelt.

"- Will be best friends!" Finchkit finished with a bounce.

Poolfeather smiled and left the den. He stepped out and thought about resting for a bit. He did do a quick hunting patrol around the moor side of The Strays borders.

"Poolfeather!"

Wolftooth came out of the medicine cat den and said, "I just spoke with Cloudfall. You will go with her to Moonpool. But first, you, Foxbreeze, Ratfoot, and Owlpaw will go on a border patrol around the forest side of our territory. Tell me how Small Stream is doing. If it is as bad as I think it is, we might need to find another stream. You will lead the patrol."

Poolfeather was in shock. Ever since the battle on RiverClan territory, Wolftooth had been making Poolfeather in charge in most patrols. It was fine till Ratstar and Rainstar's battle in the camp, Wolftooth worked him harder and watched him closer. It started to make Poolfeather feel uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, the gray and white tom walked over to The Rock, where Foxbreeze and Ratfoot laid peacefully at the base.

"Hey, you two!" Poolfeather called, "Wolftooth wants us to go on a patrol with Owlpaw!"

Foxbreeze nodded and walked forward, "Owlpaw is at Small Stream. I told her we would train after she cleaned Tigereye's nest out."

"Okay, let's go get her so we can start the patrol." Poolfeather said.

The three toms left through the front gorse tunnel. They walked around the camp and into the dying woods. The trees lost all of their leaves and the bark was trying a yellowish-brown. The grass was so dry and hot, it cut at their paw pads.

"Great StarClan, and it's only Newleaf!" Foxbreeze complained, cutting some grass with his claws.

"I think StarClan is punishing The Eight." Ratfoot stated.

"How come?" Poolfeather asked, shivering at the sight of the tall trees.

"Well, all of the eight original leaders and deputies were killed in the same way and Eight horrible leaders and deputies came forward to claim that _they_ are the cats in power now. Then it hasn't rained in two moons. StarClan is obviously punishing them."

Poolfeather didn't respond. Could it be true? Could StarClan really be punishing every Clan?

The group watched to Small Stream and glanced down. Small Stream wasn't not a stream anymore. It was just a dusty ditch. Foxbreeze tried to stepped carefully into the ditch, but the ground gave away and he fell in and into massive clouds of dust.

"Are you okay?"

Owlpaw came out of some yellow bushes. Her purple eyes showed worry and joy at the same time.

"I-I'm fine!" Foxbreeze stood up, shaking off the dust.

"Look what I found! It's amazing!" Owlpaw bounced and started to run off.

Poolfeather sighed and helped Foxbreeze out. The cats followed the apprentice till they to a large rock in a slightly open area.

"It's just a rock, Owlpaw." Ratfoot scoffed.

"No, look!"

The small Owlpaw growled as she pushed the rock a quarter the way away. A small hole was there. Inside was a dark tunnel. Water was half way up and moving quickly.

"How did all this water guess here?!" Poolfeather asked, sniffing the water wearily.

"It's lake water… But how did lake water get into these tunnels?" Foxbreeze asked.

"Who cares! Fresh water! I found it while collecting moss! I heard the rushing water and pushed the rock out of the way to see this!" Owlpaw smiled brightly.

Poolfeather ordered them to cover up the hole, "We will tell Wolftooth about this. But for now, we need to go on patrol."

Once they finished, they begun their patrol. Poolfeather walked along the trees, but tried not to get close. He never felt safe around trees. He always worried they would fall over and crushed him. He marked one of the tree with the most life and said,

"Owlpaw can mark the next one." Poolfeather meowed.

Foxbreeze nodded to an excited apprentice, who ran up ahead.

"I remember when I was apprentice," Ratfoot said smiling, "My mentor's name was Rosewing. She was strict, but friendly."

"I remember her. My mentor, Redfoot, was her brother. He was a good fighter and he was friendly."

Ratfoot turned to Poolfeather, "Who did you have as a mentor, Poolfeather? And what are WindClan mentors like?"

"They're the same as ThunderClan mentors, Mousebrain!" Foxbreeze hissed.

"Well his name was Treefur… He wasn't the best mentor ever." Poolfeather replied, shivering again at the trees.

Ratfoot started to ask, but then Owlpaw bounced out from the trees.

"I marked a bush near the end of our border!" She mewed.

Foxbreeze's pelt brushed against the apprentice's, "Good, stay here with Poolfeather and Ratfoot now, okay?"

Owlpaw nodded and swiftly followed behind her mentor, chattering away like an old crow. Foxbreeze rolled his eyes at Poolfeather and muttered, "At least she isn't sulking anymore. She wouldn't move for days after Brownpaw got attacked. Once he started getting better, she started to be more lively."

Poolfeather purred happily and marked a tree. He made a sharp right and continued. Ratfoot started to mark a bush when Owlpaw asked,

"Why do we still have borders? We can just use this whole space and no cat would get mad at us!"

"If we used this whole space, we would seen greedy and powerful and the Clans would try and take us down. If we seem weak, they won't consider us a threat. The other reason is we really don't need it."

"But we are always hungry!" Owlpaw complained, "If we had more space we-"

"-It would be too much to look after," Poolfeather explained, "We have barely a pawful of warriors and you and Brownpaw are the only apprentices."

"Oh… Okay." Owlpaw said.

Ratfoot finished and the patrol continued down, marking trees and bushes alike. Poolfeather was almost relaxed and (besides being near the dead trees) calm. It was nice to walk around inside the borders. It was hard to feel calmed in a time like this, but Poolfeather didn't seemed bothered about it at that time. He stopped and let the hot breeze run through his pelt. Suddenly, the breeze grew cold and it felt like dozens of claws were attacking his pelt.

"Are you alright?" Ratfoot asked.

Poolfeather shook his pelt, "Fine, just zoned out. Come on, I see camp."

They walked down a slight hill and through the gorse bush. Wolftooth was talking to Cloudfall.

"Will Brownpaw's leg get better soon?"

"Yes. If we wait another quarter moon, his leg will be strong enough to continue his training."

Wolftooth nodded and turned to see the patrol.

"Poolfeather! How is Small Stream? Do we have enough water to last the rest of this moon?" The dark gray tom asked.

"No, Wolftooth. Small Stream is now Small Ditch. All the water is gone." Poolfeather said, dipping his head.

Wolftooth sighed sadly, "Great. Another problem on my paws. Very well, I'll send a patrol to look for a river."

Owlpaw stepped forward, smiling, "We found an underground river, Wolftooth! There is a bunch of water inside a tunnel looking thing!"

"A tunnel? Underground water?" Wolftooth questioned, "I heard a story about two apprentices, one in ThunderClan and the other WindClan, found tunnel ways underground and played in them every night. I don't know the whole story, but I think those tunnels might be the same ones. Show me them."

Poolfeather started his way to the gorse tunnel, but Wolftooth called him back.

"You're going with Cloudfall, remember? Go get some rest."

"But-"

"Now." Wolftooth ordered firmly.

Poolfeather nodded with a sigh and walked to the den. Owlpaw started leading the patrol and Wolftooth into the gorse tunnel while Poolfeather walked in.

The den was becoming more cramped. Some parts of the den had shriveled up and fallen off, so they had to push parts of it in. It was hot and stuffy and smelled like dust and crowfood. Blacktooth was back in the den, trying to sleep.

"Stupid…. Dusty…. Den!" He hissed softly, turning over onto his side, trying not to hit his leg.

Waspstripe sat in the back of the curved shaped den in her nest, licking her pelt.

"Cloudfall said you had to stay in her den," Waspstripe questioned Blacktooth, "What are you doing here?"

Blacktooth grumbled, "I don't wanna be a burden."

"You _will_ be a burden if you don't go back and let yourself rest so you can heal!" Waspstripe hissed demandingly.

Blacktooth murmured something and walked out, passing Poolfeather. The gray and white tom got a good glance at the black tom's black right leg. It was held up by a stick covered in cobwebs and a dry lavender colored plant. Poolfeather looked back at Waspstripe, who just noticed him.

"Oh, hey Poolfeather? What are you doing here?"

"Wolftooth told me to rest because I'm bringing Cloudfall to Moonpool tonight." Poolfeather replied, laying in his nest which was in front of Waspstripe.

"Oh, you're so special," Waspstripe yawned and stretched out before laying back down again, "Remember to take The Path Ratstar told us about."

Poolfeather shifted in his nest, uncomfortably. Wolftooth had gone himself to check parts of The Path to see if would work. He only went half through WindClan territory before going back.

 _I hope he told Cloudfall the way because I don't know!_ Poolfeather thought worryingly, resting his head on his paws. He slowly fell into a deep peace

( **OHFANFICIWISHICOULDHAVESOMELINEEEEES!)**

 _A brown rabbit leaped out of some heather and started nibbling on some grass. A small gray and white tom crouched down and watched carefully. He needed to make sure the rabbit didn't see or hear him move. It was only a tail-length, this the tom could just get it to move forward._

 _The rabbit hopped two times forward and started eating some clover._

Now! _The tom thought_

 _The cat burst out of the grass and sped toward the rabbit. The small animal's ears perked and dashed off. The tom followed close behind._

Faster! _The cat thought_ Faster!

 _When the tom could see the stream that borders ThunderClan was about five fox-lengths away, the rabbit veered to the left fastly. The tom tried to turn that fast, but his paw twisted in a weird angle and he yelped in pain. The rabbit scurried over a hill as the cat squirmed and yowling in pain. His paw was in an odd angle and throbbed in pain._

" _Poolpaw!"_

 _A massive thick furred dark brown tom came over the hills and ran down to the injured cat. Disappointment and anger spread across his face._

" _Treefur!" The smaller tom, Poolpaw, tried to stand, but only was able to half-hop, half-balance, on one side, "I know I let the piece of prey get away I-"_

 _The older tom, Treefur, slammed his paw into the side Poolpaw's face and brought him to the ground. The tips of his claws dug into his skin. Poolpaw whimpered, his heart hammering in his chest._

" _You'll never be a WindClan cat is you can't hunt!" Treefur growled, pushing him harder, "You'll be a useless kittypet! I you know what I do to trespassing kittypets trying to be WindClan cats!"_

Please…. No! _Poolpaw thought, starting to weakly struggled._

 _Treefur growled and tried to bite into his neck_

"Poolfeather!"

Poolfeather quickly stood up, breathing heavily. Icestrike, Rosestep, Foxbreeze, and Ratfoot were sleeping peacefully. Waspstripe was gone as well. Cloudfall stood over him with worry in her eyes.

"You were twitching badly in your sleep and muttering 'no'" Cloudfall explained, "Are you okay?"

 _No_ Poolfeather thought, but instead he yawned and stretched, "I'm fine. Let's head out."

"But-"

"Come on!" Poolfeather walked out of den.

Cloudfall came out and flicked her tail. Poolfeather followed her into the medicine cat den. Blacktooth was talking with Brownpaw about a battle he was in with ShadowClan. Cloudfall pushed a pile of combined herbs together. Poolfeather sniffed it which made his nose scrunch up.

Cloudfall laughed, "I know it does smell that good. But I help reduce the smell with some Heather Nectar so it tastes a little better. You better eat quickly. I made sure to wake you up before it is a complete sundown. We need to leave early to get to Moonpool."

Poolfeather nodded and started to eat. It tasted sweet at first, but then started to taste way too bitter. His nose scrunched once he finished.

"Gah!" He gasped for air, "What's in that stuff?!"

"Sorrel, daisy, chamomile, and burnet!" Brownpaw listed cheerfully.

"Correct," Cloudfall said, "He has been bored in the den so I taught him a few things about medicine."

Poolfeather purred, "That's good. Anyway, we should start heading out. We don't wanna leave to late."

Cloudfall agreed and the two left the camp together.

( **LINESLINESLINES)**

It was nice to walk pass WindClan. The sky turned a murky blue/black color with a hint of pinkish-orange. The stars faintly twinkled in the sky while the moon brightly shone. The yellow grass hills made Poolfeather's heart torn.

 _This shouldn't be happening to my home._

They were walking two tail-lengths away from the border to make sure a WindClan patrol didn't get mad at them if they saw the cats. Cloudfall was silent the whole time, making Poolfeather feel awkward. But then again, he did have time to take in the sights. He could see the heather pile in the distance, making him remember the days of being an apprentice and playing in that patch and always smelling like heather.

 _But those were the days when I could get away from Treefur._

Poolfeather shuddered.

Cloudfall noticed, "Are you okay?"

"F-Fine…. Just it's so weird to see my home like this." Poolfeather said sadly.

"I know how you feel. When I was still in RiverClan, my apprentice, Marigoldpaw, and I were scared all the time. Mothnose and Snowwing always hung around the medicine cat down on Rainstar's orders, making sure we didn't try to escape. They would torture us, forcing us to do cool tricks on such as decorating their nests with herbs and healing from wounds they got from being stupid, like running into brambles, just so they could see us. Marigoldpaw was called 'The Golden Flower' because every apprentice thought she was pretty. Soon some very young toms found her pretty. Marigoldpaw hated them, but she couldn't go against Rainstar," Cloudfall stopped, "I miss her."

"It'll be okay," Poolfeather said comfortably, "We'll see her soon."

Cloudfall smiled and they continued. They followed the ThunderClan/WindClan border stream up to Moonpool. They stopped halfway up to get a quick drink, then waited there. Poolfeather laid in the cool grass. For the first time in moons, cool breezes blew through the air. The forest seemed untouched. More trees were green then yellow. The stream was a dark color and rushing lightly. The gras was a yellowish-green and a cool place to lay. Cloudfall started to groom her pelt, waiting for the others to arrive. Before Poolfeather could get a good rest, a tall yellow and brown spotted she-cat came up from down stream. She had green eyes.

"Marigoldpaw!"

Cloudfall bounded forward and nuzzled the she-cat, who nuzzled her back.

"Oh, Cloudfall, I've missed you so much!" Marigoldpaw cocked her head, "Is it true? You're the Strays' medicine cat?"

"It is true, my apprentice. I can't live in a cruel Clan anymore." Cloudfall said sadly.

Marigoldpaw purred and nuzzled her again, "I hope you're happier than me, in RiverClan-"

"C-C-Cloudfall!"

A red she-cat with blue eyes bounced forward, smiling.

"I-It's great to s-see you! I h-heard the S-Strays g-got you!"

"It's true, Berrytooth. But instead, I joined them to become their medicine cat."

Berrytooth gasped and shivered a bit, "O-Oh… W-wait… Poolfeather?"

Poolfeather was stunned. Berrytooth was the twitchy, stuttering medicine cat of WindClan and one of Poolfeather's close friends.

"I-It's great t-to s-see you!" Berrytooth smiling.

A small light brown tom with a white muzzle and amber eyes walked up behind her. Water dripped down his fur.

"I-I told y-you you should h-have not w-walked a-along the r-rocks." Berrytooth purred, trying to clean him off.

"Haha, very funny." The tom shook some water off, getting Berrytooth wet to.

"Harepaw, s-stop it!" Berrytooth mewed playfully.

Marigoldpaw, Cloudfall, and Poolfeather snickered.

"What is this? A group of gossiping apprentices?"

A small dark brown tom with grayish-white apprentice walked up. Even if they were small, they seemed to hold a lot of power because everyone went quiet.

"I think it's time to go to Moonpool, right Dewpaw?" The tom asked.

"Yes, Stickfur."

The group continued their way up till they got to a stone pool. Stars seemed to dance on the glittering surface. The stone was smooth and cold.

Cloudfall stepped forward and her voice echoed off the stones, "I, Cloudfall, former medicine cat of RiverClan and medicine cat of The Strays, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons to come. Marigoldpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clans and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

Marigoldpaw stepped forward and said confidently, "I do."

Cloudfall continued, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Marigoldpaw, from the moment on, you will be known as Marigoldleaf. StarClan honors your kindness and wisdom, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of RiverClan."

Cloudfall rested her chin on Marigoldleaf's head. Marigoldleaf licked her shoulder and stepped back.

"Marigoldleaf! Marigoldleaf! Marigoldleaf!"

"I wanted to make sure StarClan knew of your new name… Or I guess Rainstar didn't tell you." Cloudfall said.

"She did, just she told me if I was ever called that without StarClan permission, she'd kill me. But I know she's lying, I'm her only medicine cat!" Marigoldleaf sighed.

Stickfur moaned, "Alright, let's go!"

Cloudfall whispered to Poolfeather, "Stay back and don't touch the pool!"

The medicine cats gathered around. Their noses touched the pool, making slight ripples. Poolfeather felt his paws tiggle as they fell asleep. Poolfeather looked into the pool. Cats with bright stars and white eyes started whispering something.

 _I'm just imaging this!_ Poolfeather thought nervously.

The cats danced across the pool.

"Sorry, Cloudfall." Poolfeather muttered.

He laid down and let his nose graze the pool. He quickly fell asleep and woke up in a cold dark place. It was a black void. He tried to look around, but there was nothing.

"Hello?"

"Hello Poolfeather, sorry for this. I was worried the other of members wouldn't like you here so I blinded you. I will welcome you formally to StarClan."

The black void disappeared and was replaced with a starry land. The ground was made up of light, wispy, but hard star clouds. Bushes were made up of clouds and stars. The tree tops were the same. The land made rivers and streams bigger than Poolfeather thought was possible. A white short furred she-cat with orange flecks and stars came forward in a starry frog in her mouth. She dropped it at his feet.

"Eat." The she-cat ordered kindly.

"But it's a-"

"Calm down, it will give you the strength you need." The she-cat purred, sitting calmly with her tail gently resting on her paws.

The tom took a bite of the frog. Warmth spread through his whole body. His muscles seemed to be stronger and he felt like he could run across all the territories in one go. He finished the prey and licking his lips, wanting more.

"Calm down. You'll need that strength and speed for later." The she-cat smiled.

"What do you mean?" Poolfeather asked.

"You will figure that out yourself, Poolfeather. But I should tell you my name, first," The she-cat licked her paw, "I'm Frecklefur, former mate to Wolftooth."

"Wait… Wolftooth had a mate?"

Frecklefur nodded, "We tried to stop Ratstar. But he just attacked us. I jumped in front of Wolftooth to protect him and Ratstar claw deep into my chest, killing me instantly."

Poolfeather didn't respond, only felt sadness for both Wolftooth and Freckelfur.

"But I need to warn you. The Path is a trick. Do not trust it." Frecklefur said urgently.

"Why not?" Poolfeather asked.

"WindClan has betrayed ThunderClan and joined ShadowClan and RiverClan has joined ThunderClan. The Four are changing allies _again._ If you continue to use the Path, you will-"

Suddenly darkness spread over Poolfeather. Icy cold breeze whipped at the tom. He yowled as screeches echoed in his ears.

 _Blood… Death… War…. BLOOD!_

Poolfeather woke up, his heart pounding. Crickets chirped loudly as she stood up. The medicine cats were still asleep, but Cloudfall was starting to wake up. Poolfeather looked around. The sky was dark and the stars barely were visible.

"Poolfeather… What's wrong?" Cloudfall yawned.

"Nothing," He said quickly, "We need to go, though. I think Wolftooth wants us back at camp as soon as possible."

Cloudfall, looking somewhat confused, nodded and followed Poolfeather down the stream and back into WindClan territory.

"Are you okay, Poolfeather. You're acting strange."

Poolfeather felt a bit on edge after talking with Frecklefur and being in the void. He was wondering if he should tell her, but then some bushes become to rustle. They stopped and Poolfeather watched carefully.

"Well, look. It's the Strays."

An orange tom and a gray she-cat came out, smirking.

"Flameheart, Pebblenose, what are you doing?" Poolfeather looked at them, growling, "We are two tail-lengths from your border."

"True, but Heatherstar told us to attack any traitors so.."

Pebblenose leaped out and tried to claw at Cloudfall. Cloudfall dodged and growled at Pebblenose.

"Run, Cloudfall!" Poolfeather yelled.

Cloudfall glanced and waited for a few heartbeats nervously, but then started running. Flameheart tried to follow her, but Poolfeather swiped his claws against his pelt. Pebblenose tried to leaped on his back, but Poolfeather kicked her in the stomach and begun running. He felt his legs pump faster and faster. Cloudfall stopped and mewed for him to hurry. The Horseplace was in sight. He leaped over the fence and helped Cloudfall.

The Horseplace was a large open area surrounded by a wood fence. The grass seemed to be eaten away and left with dirt and dust. A small Twoleg den was in the distance, but it didn't seem to bother anything. There was a massive a red and white barn in the corner. The opening to the barn was slightly open, but Poolfeather didn't care. He was more worried about Cloudfall.

"Are you okay?" He meowed.

"Fine, but-"

"What are you doing here?!"

A dark tom with many scars came out of the barn. He stalked forward, growling, "If you don't get off my land, I swear-"

"Harley!"

A small ginger she-cat with yellow eyes came rushing out of the barn. A long yellow and orange she-cat with brown eyes followed behind.

"Shame on you, Harley!" The yellow she-cat scolded.

"Can't you seem them? They have the scent of fear and that stupid ol' Clan on them!" The ginger she-cat added.

 _Stupid ol' Clan?_ Poolfeather thought.

The yellow she-cat walked up to the cats and purred, "Sorry, this old furball is Harley. I'm Yeardley and this little cutie is Piper."

Piper smiled, "Hello and welcome to the farm!"

( **ENDLINE)**

Forgive me for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I was in a rush (in this chapter) and I try my best to find them in other chapters, but I don't have a beta reader to read and tell me I made a mistake. If you want me to be a beta reader, PM me and we can talk. And sorry if the chapter is rushed. I wanted to get this out because I'll be busy for the next few days and I don't know if I'll have time to write. Have some cookies and bye! (::) (::) (::) (::)


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